SUNDAY AM: The movie that George Clooney directed, starred in and overhauled the script for, Leatherheads, stumbled badly at the box office this weekend, making only $12.5 million from 1,769 theaters and finishing only No. 3. (Interestingly, the pic’s studio, Universal, claimed it was No. 2, but every other Hollywood major had it as No. 3 behind Sony’s 21 and Fox/Walden’s Nim’s Island.) The screwball comedy about the early days of football was seen in Hollywood as a referendum on Clooney’s popularity at the box office. Because right now he is a big movie star but not a big box office star, and his hefty paydays in big studio projects like this definitely depend on the latter. (To be fair, few movie stars nowadays are reliably performing at the box office…)

Instead, Sony’s 21 casino caper fended off tough competition from three newcomers in the marketplace to score its second straight win as the #1 movie in North America. It earned a $15.1 million weekend, down only 37% from its opening last weekend, for a new cume of $46.5 million.

Family fare Nim’s Island, starring Abigail Breslin and Jodie Foster for Fox/Walden, junped into 2nd place with $13.3 million thanks to strong Saturday kiddie matinees and a wide theater count of 3,513.

Recent Comments

I liked Leatherheads - I love the 1920s and 1930s screwball comedies. Of course I will see...

Fred Chopin

7 years

As usual, the "provincial moron factor" in this list of comments is high. To think that politics...

Ben Dover

7 years

When is the Loony Left going to understand that I, on the right, have just as much...

Another studio newcomer in release, horror pic The Ruins from DreamWorks /Paramount earned $7.8 million this weekend from 2,812 venues for 5th place behind #4 Horton Hears A Hoo!, the Dr. Seuss pic from Fox, which took in $9.1 million for the weekend finishing with a giant cume of $131M.

But Hollywood was aghast that Clooney couldn’t open his movie. (As one studio mogul said to me, “He’s no Will Smith.”) The ability of superstars to generate domestic gross by putting North American moviegoers into theater seats is why studios hire them in the first place. Now Leatherheads is the latest of his non-ensemble big studio movies released wide to open $16 million domestic (Michael Clayton, Intolerable Cruelty, Solaris, Three Kings, Out Of Sight, The Peacemaker, One Fine Day…) and a few times not even half that. True, Clooney has received much critical acclaim for his smaller movies in limited release like Good Night and Good Luck and Syriana. But he doesn’t get hefty paydays for those. In this case, he has only himself to blame for the lackluster financial performance of this latest movie. In addition to directing and starring, Clooney also did a major overhaul of the script to transform Leatherheads into a screwball comedy. [But a Writers Guild arbitration over screen credits went 2-to-1 against Clooney, who’s still furious about it. See my previous story here.] And yet that’s why the comedy seemed weak to top critics who gave it only 36% positive reviews. According to Rotten Tomatoes, “despite a good premise and strong cast, this pro football romcom is half screwball and half fumble.”

After coming in at a cost of $60 million, the Universal pic was nurtured by a smart marketing campaign that combined football, romance, comedy and nostalgia. Clooney also won studio kudos for hyping the hell out of the movie, eking out every ounce of PR possible. The comedy had been tracking well with older men and older women, and strong with young males and teens. Universal had been hopeful for high teens and with luck even $20 million. But it was not to be.

The rest of the Top 10 were holdovers.

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489 Comments

mla28 • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

I could never understand the “Clooney is a movie star” assertion. Just saying it doesn’t make it so. Hollywood’s fawning over him is sickening. His smugness is unbelieveable. I cannot sit in a theater and watch him in a movie. His persona in films seems to be misogynist. When he held a press conference to rage against the press after Princess Diana’s death – My GOD! The guy’s arrogance is breathtaking. Who does he think he is? He’s a goddam TV actor. This is why Hollywood is so fucked. When you’ve got TV actors thinking they are auteurs, we’re fucked. This probably explains why his movies make no money. Why would the average Joe spend 10 bucks to see this arrogant actor when he may lose his job at the factory tomorrow? Sorry to rant, but Clooney has been bugging me for a while. Note to Hollywood, you want butts in the seats? Raise the standards back up. If you keep to this road, you’ll be trying to tell us next year that this years winner of Survivor should win an Oscar for best actor. Jebus Christ. I gotta go lie down now.

jackofalltrades • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Of course he can’t open movie even through he is a perceived as a movie star and well known, he just like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie neither can open a movie on name alone, unless its mainstream movie, this movie just is not for the masses

40yearoldstitzer • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Look, I love Clooney and he’s made some great movies. But you know why they’re great? Because they’re not commercial (Oceans trilogy being the exception, of course.)

If Uni wanted a hit football movie with George, they should’ve made it modern. Look at today’s demographics. Not saying what makes money is always great (quite the opposite), but Clooney doesn’t go for the popcorn films.

Leatherheads was too “strange,” a comment I’ve heard from family and friends. Renee Zellweger isn’t a star either.

Good Night and Good Luck, Michael Clayton, Syriana, Oh Brother Where Art Thou: some of the best films of the past decade. But George needs to go make some more Danny Ocean movies to keep his paycheck.

Anonymous • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Hey mla28,
Guess what. Life isn’t a fairy tale. Actors get to have press conferences and presidents who can’t put a sentence together get to rape the country for trillions of our children’s tax money. I listen to Cloony talking about Di over that hillbilly telling us he’s got the economy under control any day. But I don’t get the Oscars reference. This year’s winners were very deserving. It’s not like Scary movie 4 was recognized as a actual film. And survivor is a TV show. It doesn’t qualify for an Oscar. Get a clue.

manny • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Clooney doesn’t open movies unless they are high concept and big ensemble casts.
GQ magazine just ran a story on that at the end of last year detailing all of his failures (and they have been many) even a bunch of the $100 million (international) movies were failures since the budgets were well over that number.
I like him as an actor, but if I was a studio head, I sure wouldn’t invest a ton of money in a film expecting him to open it up gangbusters.

Cyntia • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

I think George Clooney is talented. I thought he did a great job in Michael Clayton.

His career is mostly media hype that wasn’t justified by a hit movie that he can call his own. All of his hits are ensembles, counting Batman and Robin. That’s not a really good track record.

To me, him and Brad Pitt are the same, as far as boxoffice clout is concerned, in that they don’t have it, but are highly rated by the media and tabloids (Brad Pitt is worse though, and that’s probably why he hooked up with Angelina).

I’m not saying he is not talented. But clearly the public isn’t paying to see his movies. Media is mostly responsible for his A-list reputation and salary. He probably have a really good agent because he was able to con the studios of their money.

George Clooney is Hollywood’s movie star, he’s not the audience’s movie star. He’s spent the past ten years cultivating the media while doing nothing really for the audience outside of the Ocean’s # movies.

Plus there are the incidents of smugness and arrogance, that the media let’s slip, but audience doesn’t forget, like his Princess Di press conference, or his rather nasty joke about Charlton Heston’s Alzheimer’s. And then saying that Heston deserved it for being president of the NRA, forgetting Heston’s often overlooked civil rights work. The media quickly forgave him, because it was the politically correct thing to do, but the audience saw Clooney cruelly picking on an old man with a distinguished career dying of a terminal illness.

Hollywood has forgotten that in order to be a good box office draw a “star” needs the goodwill of the audience. Clooney’s career is built on the goodwill of the media, and hoping that they could spin success for him. But the media’s power to spin just isn’t what it used to be.

Hold Up • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Um, wait a minute. Brad Pitt can’t open a movie? He busted his ass pr wise for Babel and that movie in which he was a supporting player has earned well over 137 million dollars with no budget.

The Assassination of Jesse James opened in 5 art movie plexis!!!!!! Why? Because Warners pimped the shit out of Michael Clayton instead when James was a far superior film in every way. Why? Pitt took his shingle to Paramount. Whaaa, whaaaa He left me. Sound familiar? And as far as Jolie is concerned The Good Shepherd wasn’t her film it was Matt Damon’s. It’s grossed close to 100 million. Beowulf the same thing, wasn’t her film but the studio put her out there in both of those films as the headliner when she wasn’t. Beowulf has grossed 197 million and that doesn’t count DVD receipts. If you’re talking about AMH, well that’s a different animal. American’s do not go to anything even remotely associated w/911. Paramount f’d up the release date on that one by putting in out in June. To date that movie has grossed over 36 million w/boxoffice and DVD rentals w/the DVD rentals being the majority of revenue. Jolie over the past three years has only picked supporting roles. She’s got Wanted coming out in June which looks like it will be huge and The Changeling w/Eastwood. Her first real starring role in 4 yrs. Her movies do better then Clooney’s. lol

George Clooney the last movie star as he and his people like to ram down our throats can’t outside of Oceans do those types of numbers on his own. He’s off putting to a large group of people. George the big movie star who got an Oscar nomination couldn’t bring in ANY Oscar viewership the past three yrs in a row. Face it, the general public just isn’t that into him. heh

Eric • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Why release a football movie in April? That’s a big problem with this.

ricardo maxwell • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

The Ocean’s movies STUNK! George Clooney is a monotone, a talentless f$#&! And his political rants just reveal more about his lack of character and egotistical need for attention.
ps I like the way the Bushhater posted as anonymous. Gutless wonders, all of them.

ricardo maxwell • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

I forgot to add that many Americans these days refuse to support ANY anti-American left wing Michael Moore types. Look at the film industry and the newspaper business (eg., the NYT).

Pete • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

When will these celebrities learn to shut their mouths and just do their jobs? This guy’s political stances turns people off.

When I am at work I can’t just start running my pie hole about all my political beliefs. If I did I would be fired. It has no place in my work environment. Why don’t actors understand this? Whether it’s Clooney or the Dixie Chicks, they just don’t understand that what they do is a job and airing out your beliefs is bad for business and your career. If you want to run your mouth than be prepared for poor CD and box office sales and don’t complain.

I take no objection to what he believes. He is free to to think what he wants. But do it on the job and you are going to piss your customers off. It won’t be long before ole’ George throws a for sale sign up on his mansion in Italy if he keeps sit up.

John • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

I don’t jump up and down when I see Clooney’s name, but I don’t think “Leatherheads” was properly marketed or researched to see if an audience would care about a football comedy from the 1930s (?).

In other words, regardless of the star, this movie appears to be fumbling.

Roxie • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Hmmmm…. You gotta nurture your brand. Clooney hasn’t. To most movie goers he’s a political preacher man. That is not a good brand for the 50% his preaching pisses off, and for 50% of the rest who want entertainment not sermons in their screw ball comedies.

Too many don’t trust Clooney’s brand to deliver what they are buying for a movie ticket. Pity that actions have consequences, but they do, and for a lot of people they hear”Clooney” and the Dixie Chicks springs to mind. Whatever happened to them anyway? Do they still open movies… or whatever?

Rigel • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

George Clueless – please, you couldn’t pay me to go see one of his bombs. I can’t stand him, when I have, by accident, seen him try to act, it was stiff and uninspiring. When I see he is in a movie, I pass right by.

Hollywood just gets weaker by the day. I am not interested in their politics and views of the world. I just want to be entertained when I go to see a movie, not lectured to. I want to see actors who view their careers as acting and don’t pretend their wealth and limited education gives them credibility in science, economics, foreign affairs, etc.

Eugene Boyanton • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

George Clooney..bad actor…worked a bit on the small screen….needs help to draw a crowd for a movie….proves Hollywood is in a dreamworld of their own.

Surelock Homes • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

I saw the movie. I liked it. I’ve never seen much of a correlation between what critics say and the movie itself.

Chris • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

well well only 20 years to determine one thing. One thing… hmmm what’s that one thing… TALENT. He’s got just enough to fool a ton of you. But, thank goodness, not enough to fool most/enough of you. He’s so average.

the porjectionist • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

I have to wonder why “anonymous” would use a movie review comment box to ooze his/her boring venom over the president when the subject is a charismatic albiet unlikeable actor. I dont expect my presidents to be glib, nor do I expect them to be slick and easygoing in front of a camera. I expect my actors do be. I don’t expect my actors to be calling press conferences to vent about world events or foreign policy, I expect my presidents to. So “anonyous”, hillybilly or not, the president is doing his job just fine thank you, it’s Clooney who isn’t and you should get your head out of your ass and smell the coffee.

AGD • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

ditto…well written as I could not agree more.
AGD

Tollhouse • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Hey anonymous you do not make sense! Nor do you know what you say! “Our childrens tax money”? What….the money our children will need when the next democrat raises taxes?

Roy Stanforth • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

You cannot denegrate, alienate and ridicule 50% of the paying audience because they have conservative values, and expect them to PAY to watch your performance. Thats a FACT jack !!!

Could it be that many Americans, like me, find the only way to show the man we don’t condone his political views is by not attending his movies? I personally know many people who feel this way.

Peaches • on Apr 4, 2008 10:29 pm

Clooney a movie star??? Only in the mind of the Hollywood hothouse. They need to get outside of their bubble more often and see what the real America thinks. I am sick of elites in Hollywood thinking they are the deciders for the rest of us.